July 6, 2010

New grants focus Nursing faculty on nearby communities

Faculty in the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s Department of Community Public Health will address health disparities in their own backyard through funding provided in two new grants from the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute. Elizabeth “Betty” Jordan, an assistant professor, and Patty Wilson, an instructor, received $10,000 each for their respective endeavors.

Jordan’s project, “Birth Companions Services for New Refugees: Partnering With the International Rescue Committee,” seeks to bring the benefits of the Birth Companions program to refugee pregnant women in urban settings. The goal is to bring culturally appropriate services to this population. Funding will be used to conduct a needs assessment and help provide additional services.

Wilson’s “Passport to Health: Taking Charge of Your Health; Empowering Intimate Partner Violence Survivors to Become Their Own Health Advocates,” focuses on providing mothers with health education, health promotion and a booklet storing their health information and giving health-care guidance. The group targeted for this project will be women and children at the House of Ruth Maryland shelter.